Air rifle problem

chiron

Well-Known Member
This is a bit off topic but I have been given a Weirauch break action air rifle -HW 80k in .22 cal. I cannot get it to group at 10 m -first shot-everything cold- is ok next 1" high, second 4"high and so on. Doesn't deviate much left and right. Scope is secure and action is solid in stock. Using Crossman pellets and trying Brocock no difference.

I don't know much about air rifles but this is really annoying me. as the Bunnies in the Garden are really taking the micky . I wont shoot as I know that if I need a second shot I will probably miss!

Any ideas?

Regards

Chiron
 
I'd check whether the barrel has been bent . . . either by alligning it along a straight-edge or just by looking down the tube. I've seen this before where someone has managed to let-go the barrel in mid-cock and it resulted in some very large and strange groups.
If the barrel is true, then I'd look at it's locking mechanism . . . again these can be damaged if the barrel is released part-way through the cocking stroke and slams back into battery uder spring pressure. Can you wobble the barrel when it's locked, particularly up-and-down.

Triffid
 
Jeepers, if you're getting a 5" spread from a HW80 at 10 yards then something is SERIOUSLY wrong....!!

It could be any number of things from a buckled mainspring to a bent barrel to a loose action in the stock....even the way you are holding it.

I'd suggest getting it to a competent gunsmith to check the mechanical aspects first, then look at your technique; spring rifles need a gentle but consistent hold to get the best out of them; if you try and strangle it to "control the recoil", all you'll do is spray pellets all over the shop - although even doing that you'd be hard pressed to span 5" at that kind of range.

What kind of scope is it? It may be secure on the rifle, but if the internals are FUBAR'd, then you're never going to shoot accurately. Have you tried a different scope/open sights? If you can group that way, then it's the scope....
 
Check your scope. An purpose built air-rifle scope is set with a very short parallax. That means you can focus and shoot at very short distances without the problem of a wandering point of impact.
How to explain this?
Set up a target at 10m, firmly fix the rifle so it does not move while aiming at the centre. Now move your head slightly from side to side. Do the crosshairs move dramatically away from the point of aim. If they do your scope in not suitable for an air-rifle. I had this problem with my first air-rifle, a BSA Meteor Super. The scope came off a .22 WRM (where it never missed a beat) and accuracy was shocking till I took the scope off and went back to iron sights.
Of course it could just be that the scopes internals are not up to the jolting an air-rifle will give it and are loosening up.
 
I would agree with hibridfiat here is you scope a springer air rifle scope? Becouse springers have a lot of kick and most scopes won't cope very well with it after a short while failing that check all the normal things tight mounts tight in the stock ect ect and how you your self handed the rifle becouse it can make a massive difrence
 
10:1 its a chocolate scope

springers have a nasty habit of eating cheap scopes as the recoil is fierce compared to PCP or piston/gas ram

take the scope off and shoot the same with either no scope or a known good one
 
What Bewsher said, particularly if the first shot is accurate - sounds as if something is shifting then eventually settling back into place...
 
is the first shot o.k. every time you fire it with a break in between the shots, if so it may be dieseling as previous owner may have put oil in the compression chamber. Had several Weirauch and all were vey accurate and right on th12f/lds limit, as a youngster we would put 3 in 1 oil in the spring chamber to make our meteors have more poke, and watch the smoke come out of the en of the barrel. y need a strip and clan and re-lube with the modern products now available, just thought. deerwarden
 
That is a seriously crap group at ten mtrs, so something pretty obvious is wrong, check the crown, then try another scope and mounts, as this is probably the root cause, as springers can be very hard on scopes, especially cheap ones, Weihrauchs dont USUALLY like Crosman accupels so try some H&N field target trophy,RWS superdomes, and Air arms diablo field, chances one of those grouping well is strong, but it all points to a scope/mount issue.
 
Things worth trying:
- different pellets. My HW77 uses H&N FTT and that was the best that I tried (out of 6 brands and after some internet research). However, it's a huge spread to blame on pellets
- different scope, the one you have could well be goosed
- if you have access to a chrono, see what the spread is in pellet velocity. It shouldn't be great. If it's more than around 20fps then you have a problem
- HW80 is a break-barrel. It could be that the barrel is not going to a consistent position when closed
- Hold sensitivity in a spring-action rifle. Google "artillery hold" to see what is recommended
- consider sending it to a gunsmith for fettling. I sent mine to a chap called Welsh Willy, who polished the internals, popped in a new spring, fettled the trigger and put in a PTFE liner. Before it went it was shooting OK, after it came back it was sweet. Minimal recoil, light trigger, very accurate. It cost around £90
Hope this helps.
 
My bet would be the scope, try a proven scope. As Brewsher says springers can devour scopes. Second port of call would be trying different pellets. Go on the HW owners site, the boys over there maybe able to tell you what pellets your model prefers
 
Take scope off and thry a few gps with iron sites that will soon determine if its the scope. HW80 can be pellet fussy so use a german made 5.5mm H@N or superdomes should be good. Does it seem twangy or is it dieseling if thats bad you may see it as smoke or smell the burnt oil. Altenatively it could be running v dry. Also check that the breech bolt is not slack and the indent is locating correctly when you close the barrel.

At 10 m should be shooting nigh on one hole gps.

If none of above then off to a decent air gun tuner.

D
 
Many thanks for all your help. Gun came with a " Bushmaster " scope so I think that might be the problem. Cant do iron sights as they have been taken off so will try with different pellets - got some genuine Weirauch at Gamefair plus the Brococks . Then try different scope - have a spare Nicco Sterling somewhere. Otherwise what do you guys suggest. I don't think the rifle has shot more than 300 rounds as apparently it has never zeroed and the chap who had it before me brought it new and gave up on it.

I am a reasonable shot with my 270 and 6.5 Sakos - 1.5" groups at 100 m but will try different holds etc and see how I get on -what i cant understand is why the group gets worse the more shots I take. Does an air rifle get hot?
 
Many thanks for all your help. Gun came with a " Bushmaster " scope so I think that might be the problem. Cant do iron sights as they have been taken off so will try with different pellets - got some genuine Weirauch at Gamefair plus the Brococks . Then try different scope - have a spare Nicco Sterling somewhere. Otherwise what do you guys suggest. I don't think the rifle has shot more than 300 rounds as apparently it has never zeroed and the chap who had it before me brought it new and gave up on it.

I am a reasonable shot with my 270 and 6.5 Sakos - 1.5" groups at 100 m but will try different holds etc and see how I get on -what i cant understand is why the group gets worse the more shots I take. Does an air rifle get hot?
.....wrong order! Try the different scope first......I think that's more likely to be the issue given the scale of the problem. If it's not the scope, I'm not convinced that switching pellet brand is going to cure a 4" group at 10yds......something more fundamental is going to be the problem I reckon. Keep us posted!
 
My HW80 will group with any pellet but i mainly stick with Bisley magnums for big stuff and flat nosed pellets for pigeons in barns. I would say its your scope HW80 are built to last.
 
I changed the scope to an old Nicco Sterling that I used to have on my Finnfire. Moved the the mounts to get better eye relief got it all lined up and after a bit of faffing about because up was down and left was actually right on the scope we got on and finally produced a 1.5" group at 20 meters from 8 shots from a 10 shot detail.The other 2 were at 3" and 4" and were my fault as I pulled rather than squeezed.

Now looking forward to the bunnies coming out tonight.

So many thanks to all of you and for your great advice.
 
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